Assistant general manager John Murphy will not return to the Toronto Argonauts in 2026. His current contract with the team expires at the end of 2025, according to league sources.
Murphy was originally hired by Toronto in 2019 and was promoted to vice president of player personnel following the firing of former general manager Jim Popp. During his tenure, he helped build two Gray Cup championship teams while the Argos also finished 16-2 in 2023, setting a new franchise record.
He was suspended indefinitely CFL in December 2021 on charges that he was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with a Hamilton Tiger-Cats fan following the Eastern Finals and was caught on video allegedly uttering a homophobic slur. Murphy was later terminated by the Argonauts after an internal review of the incident. However, he was quietly returned in April 2023 after his suspension was lifted by the league without an official announcement.
Murphy was also mentioned by name in lawsuit filed against the Argonauts and quarterback Chad Kelly by a former athletic trainer following the 2023 season. The plaintiff alleged that she reported Kelly's inappropriate behavior to the assistant general manager in November 2023 and that he stated that she “opened a can of worms that should not have been opened.” Argos and Kelly have denied the allegations.and there was a lawsuit later settled out of court.
Murphy, a longtime CFL scout and executive, previously worked for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers football teams. During his eight years with the Stampeders, he won two Gray Cups.
The Argonauts have taken several important steps to reform their football operations department after departure of head coach Ryan Dinwiddie to the Ottawa Redblacks. Mike Miller named team's new head coachAnd Canadian Football Hall of Famer John Hufnagel has been transferred from the Calgary Stampeders. serve as special advisor to him and general manager Pinball Clemons. Former Toronto general manager Jim Barker also rejoining the team in an as yet undisclosed player personnel role.
In 2025, the Toronto Argonauts finished third in the East Division standings with a 5–13 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Franchise quarterback Chad Kelly was unable to play the entire season due to a broken leg he suffered in the Eastern final last year, giving way to Nick Arbuckle, who threw for 4,370 yards, 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions to be named by the team. Most Outstanding Player candidate.
The Argonauts ranked seventh in net offense, sixth in net defense and seventh with a minus-eight turnover margin. The club's leading rusher was Spencer Brown with 314 yards, the leading receiver was Dejon Brissett with 907 yards, and the leading tackler was Cameron Judge with 79 tackles. Toronto ranked ninth in attendance with an average attendance of 15,109, down 0.1 percent from the previous year.
